A community leader in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State has appealed to Bola Tinubu to facilitate the reopening of the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria, which has remained shut for over a decade.
The aluminium plant, located in Ikot Abasi, has been inactive since 2013 due to severe gas supply shortages and protracted legal disputes over ownership that have lasted more than two decades. The prolonged closure has significantly affected economic activities in the host community and surrounding areas.
Speaking in Uyo on Wednesday, community leader Mr Uyiota Abraham expressed concern over the continued shutdown, stating that residents have endured hardship since operations ceased.
“We have suffered a lot since ALSCON shut down operations. I appeal to the President to appreciate the economic importance and other related benefits the country would derive and intervene in the reopening of the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria in Ikot Abasi for the resumption of production,” he said.
He further urged the President to address the legal disputes and other constraints that have hindered the company’s operations.
“Whatever litigation and other related bottlenecks that led to the unfortunate closure of ALSCON need to be resolved for the resumption of operations in the interest of the nation,” he added.
Abraham noted that the Federal Government’s investment in the facility, amounting to billions of naira, underscores the need for urgent intervention, calling on stakeholders to set aside political and personal differences to ensure the plant’s revival.
He also highlighted the impact on communities whose farmlands were acquired for the establishment of the plant, noting that they have been deprived of the anticipated economic benefits due to the company’s prolonged inactivity.
Despite the shutdown, he commended the management of UC RUSAL/ALSCON for sustaining skills acquisition programmes aimed at empowering youths in Ikot Abasi and neighbouring communities. According to him, initiatives such as training in forklift operations, mechanical works, welding, and information and communication technology, as well as scholarship opportunities for students to study in Russia in various fields, have continued to provide development opportunities.
He further acknowledged efforts by the management to maintain the plant’s facilities over the years, while urging the Federal Government to resolve the gas supply challenges preventing the resumption of aluminium production at the facility.
